Praedicator

Verba

Sunday, October 26, 2014 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A

[Exod 22:20-26; 1 Thess 1:5c-10; Matt 22:34-40]

"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt." [Exodus]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt once scandalized a convention of the Daughters of the American Revolution by beginning his address to them with the words, "My fellow immigrants!" The words from the Book of Exodus today should make us think a bit about the contentious and controversial political debate over immigration going on in our country right now. The words from the Gospel of Matthew are repeated in the Gospel of Luke [10:29-37] but then followed by the lawyer asking, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan! Perhaps we could add the words in Matthew 25:31-46, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

This may be a very sensitive issue politically and socially, but the scriptures are clear about the subject. Are the scriptures our starting point when we consider or debate the subject? I don't hear government officials in Texas using them!

Immigration is not the only issue that divides our country nowadays, but I find myself asking folks who speak passionately to me about such things, "What is your starting point in thinking about this?" Initially, I get a blank stare and the question, "What do you mean?" I respond by saying, "Is your starting point your political beliefs or your personal security or your fears? Or is it your religious beliefs? If it is the latter, how do they shape your opinion on this issue?" Exodus and Jesus give us a pretty solid starting point. That starting point could come back to haunt us some day if we hear the words, "I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, naked and you did not clothe me, a stranger and you did not welcome me." AMEN